2008 Event: Now that’s what I call a good time!

1) The Rain. Yes, this was actually a highlight. While in most occasions, the rain can kill events like this, it actually amazed us at how many people turned out during the torrential downpour that was Saturday. I’ve never seen so many umbrellas in Seattle! The streets were packed with people in yellow rain jackets sipping their beer, our production staff made tents out of blue tarps to create dry areas and the Buxom Beer Garden was packed. It truly showed the dedication of our beer-drinking guests.
On Sunday, we were a little worried that having rain again wouldn’t bring down the crowds. We started to watch what kegs we were tapping in order to save money for our beneficiary, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. But, again, our crowd proved us wrong coming down in record numbers. As soon as we saw our crowd wasn’t scared of a little rain once again, we got those kegs flowing.

2) The crowd. It was great seeing the younger generation of beer enthusiasts coming out. It made me smile every time when I walked past a group of mid-twenties friends talking about the difference in taste between beers like Widmer’s Okto versus Left Hand’s Oktoberfest. Of course, these newly beer enthusiasts were the same ones that started the dance party in the Buxom Beer Garden, but, hey, I like their ambition. And who could resist the beats that DJ Money D was throwing out there?

3) The beers. What can I say? We had a great line-up, great variety and great special releases. A big thanks goes out to our 35 breweries that really gave us their best.

4) The BMX Riders. They rode in the rain and put on a great show doing superman’s and back flips. Poor Brent from Ride N Glide had a tough time landing his back flips. Three times he tried and three times you could hear the crowd go “ooooooouch” as he fell to the ground. But he was determined and by the fourth time landed it as the crowd went crazy. Special thanks to those guys for really doing what they do best.

5) Everything else. Seriously it was amazing. Fremont Oktoberfest is not your typical Oktoberfest in any way, shape or form. We don’t try to be and I think this is why more than 18,000 people came down to experience it. It’s always changing: from the Brew HA-HA Comedy Show, to the Cigar Lounge, to the wine tasting, to the Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving, to the Miss Buxom Contest. We make it quirky, fun and hip and from the laughter and smiles, I think we’re going in the right direction.

Thanks to everyone that came out. I hope you had as much of a blast as I did this weekend. I’ll post pictures soon so you can relive a little of Oktoberfest.